Keep Learning

Chloroplasts are plant cell organelles that synthesize carbohydrate molecules. Using carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil, chloroplasts combine the smaller molecules into larger, more complex ones, such as glucose. This process requires energy, which is provided by sunlight. The productivity of a plant cell is directly related to the amount of sunlight it can absorb. Leaves, which tend to be broad and flat, have a lot of surface area, which maximizes the number of cells that are exposed to sunlight.